Forever
by RenaRoo
Summary: [Yang/Blake/Sun] Yang, despite years of becoming very good at ignoring her own dreams for the future, finds herself in a bind when she can't ignore her passion much longer. The real question becomes what's right for her to do: to go with her feelings, or to be happy for the love Blake and Sun seem to have found in each other? Of course, things aren't as simple. [COMPLETE]
1. Not So Secret

Complete Synopsis: Yang, despite years of becoming very good at ignoring her own dreams for the future, finds herself in a bind when she can't ignore her passion much longer. The real question becomes what's right for her to do: to go with her feelings, or to be happy for the love Blake and Sun seem to have found in each other? Of course, things aren't as simple for Blake and Sun as appearances may first appear, and only grow more complicated at the three begin to realize the true extent of their emotions

I have been planning on writing this fic for a while now, mostly because I have never really had a true OT3 before getting more into RWBY and falling in love with YangxBlakexSun, and really wanting to dig into that and figure out what makes it work so much for me. It's been a long time coming and the time between updates might be a while since I have a lot of projects going on, not to mention working in the labs now, but I'm really hoping a few of you out there enjoy this fic with me.

Dedicated to ephemeraltea for being my RWBY muse and always encouraging me to do more fics for the fandom

RWBY and related characters © Rooster Teeth  
story © RenaRoo

 **Forever**  
Chapter One: Not So Secret

The chill at Beacon was supposed to be unnatural for their springtime. It was the sort of comment that had become the casual weather talk since they had arrived, and Yang was fairly sure that it would continue for the remainder of their stay.

It was the sort of weather they dressed for and as such it was the sort of preparation that would leave them not as nippy even if Ruby insisted on _ice cream_ on their way back.

"You're the _best,_ Yang," Ruby hummed around her spoon, eyes growing rounder and dreamier the more she consumed.

The opening was too clear for Yang to overlook and she gave her sister a nudge with her elbow. "Would you say I'm the _breast_ around? Eh? _Ehhh?"_ she goaded.

Ruby rolled her silver eyes and side stepped in order to bump into Yang as they continued on their walk back to the courtyards of their school. "Yaaaang," she groaned as she finally finished off her bowl.

"Finished already? I guess you could blame it on being an _early sundae,"_ Yang continued, at that point just seeing how far Ruby would let her get. Which wasn't far as the huntress prodigy was already swatting at her. "Okay okay! I've just had a lot of puns on reserve."

Snorting, Ruby paused her attack to give Yang a curious look. "Since when did you ever _reserve_ puns?" she asked critically.

Yang shrugged, taking her sister's empty bowl with her own and walking toward the disposal bin. "I don't know. I just haven't gotten to spend a lot of one-on-one time with you since we got to Beacon, is all. I mean, I've missed hanging out with you but there's been so much going on."

"So I'm the only one who suffers with your puns?" Ruby joked. "Thanks, Sis."

"No, it's just when I get the opportunity, it feels like the only one around is Blake," Yang shrugged. "I don't think Blake likes them that much."

Humming with though, Ruby kept a hand on her chin and looked curiously at her sister. "But, _Yaaang,_ no one likes puns. What makes Blake immune from suffering?"

Stopping in her tracks, Yang stood apart from Ruby, gave a slow blink in thought as she looked over her sister, and huffed with a small laugh, running a hand through her hair. _What a question._

"She's my partner, Ruby," Yang acknowledged. "I mean... I'm looking at a long life of us spending time with each other. You will _always_ be tied to your partner no matter what kind of Huntress you decide to become after school. I guess I just don't want mine to have a _good_ reason for hating me later on."

Ruby tilted her head. "Yeah, but I'm your _sister_ , don't you have a long life of _me_ to look forward to?"

With a laugh, Yang waved her hand. "Yeah, but _as_ my sister, you have to love me. It's the law - no matter how much you hate me, you have to love me. You'll say 'That Yang made the _best_ worst jokes ever, but she bought me ice cream that one time it was colder than an iced winter in Atlas on a Saturday, so I guess she was alright.'"

Ruby giggled before pausing her stride and looking to Yang again. Her curiosity was getting the better of her that day.

"Yang," she called out as Yang held her hands behind her head and started her stride back toward Beacon.

"What is it, Li'l Sister?" Yang asked back in confident tone.

"Why _are_ we hanging out on a Saturday?" Ruby wondered out loud. "You _never_ had a Saturday free. Not the _entire_ time you were at Signal! And this is the first Saturday you've hung out with _just_ me since we got to Beacon!"

Yang paused again and looked at Ruby with a large, wondering blink. "So?"

"So... aren't you usually doing stuff with your Saturdays? Like fun stuff? With dances and parties and clubs?" Ruby asked, crossing her arms as she tilted her head once more.

"Well, I'll sacrifice my fun to spend with you since you won't ever skip classes," Yang joked.

"Aren't you usually with _Blake_ on Saturdays?" Ruby continued.

"Aw, c'mon, Ruby, can't I just enjoy a Saturday with my sister?" Yang moaned, dropping her hands to her side.

Ruby was already too far gone, her eyes bulging with conspiracy and thought as she leaned back on her heels and hummed to herself. "Yang! You've not gone on _any_ dates since we came to Beacon!" she cried out, as if shocked by her own revelation.

"So?" Yang huffed.

"That's... so not _like_ you!" Ruby continued, running up to Yang in the blink of an eye and beginning to hang off her arm. "What's the matter? C'mon, Yang! Not dating so isn't like you!"

"It's not dating, it's _dates_ , and I've just not felt like it, Ruby," Yang pointed out. "It happens."

"Not to Yang Xiao Long," Ruby countered. "You could date anyone you wanted to."

Immediately, Yang felt her chest clench. It simply wasn't true. It _wasn't._ "Ruby, maybe I just don't want to," she offered before flicking her baby sister's nose and eliciting a whine. "You never want to."

"Yeah, but I'm me," Ruby argued, holding her hands over her nose and puffing out her lip in a pout. "I'm happy with my friends. I'm happy with Dad and Uncle Qrow. I'm happy with Team RWBY and Team JNPR and my teachers. I don't ever think about anything else because they make me so happy the way I am."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Yang reminded her.

"And there's nothing wrong with liking to date when it makes you happy," Ruby said, a gleam in her eye as she pointed at Yang. "And that's what makes you happy! Right? So why not still go out and have fun? As your team's leader, I give you permission."

 _That_ actually made Yang laugh and she lightly punched Ruby's shoulder. "Permission? Ruby, I don't need permission to date. I never got it to begin with."

"Then what are you waiting on?" Ruby asked, eyes glittering with intrigue now that she was fully down the rabbit hole.

"I never said I was waiting," Yang said. "I just found something else that made me happy instead, alright? You wanna drop it, oh gracious leader?"

"Drop it like it's hot?"

"Nope, don't steal my thing! Come over here!" Yang barked before tackling Ruby and pulling her into a headlock for a classic Xiao Long noogie.

Ruby was already kicking and squealing to Yang's delight when she overheard a familiar throat clearing nearby, drawing both of the sisters' gazes up.

Weiss stood, arms crossed and brows high while Blake tilted her head as if trying to figure out some riddle in their behavior. Her eyes flickered from Ruby to Yang, catching Yang's eyes and holding them in place with just a stare.

"Just _what_ are you two doing?" Weiss demanded, hand on her hip.

Flailing her arms, Ruby squealed, "Weiss! Blake! Great news - as your leader, I now give you permission to date at your leisure! Have fun going to the clubs! Take Yang before she becomes a sad old lady."

Their teammates looked at each other in confusion then back.

Yang tugged her sister one last time before dropping her flat on the ground and shrugging. "Heh, she's joking. You know that Ruby. Jokes," she laughed, keeping locked with Blake for a beat too long. She could feel the heat flushing to her face and immediately averted, trying to ignore in the periphery how Blake looked just as confused.

"Ugh, whatever," Weiss sighed before bending over to help pick Ruby off the floor. "We've been looking for you two."

Blake gave a small, nervous smile, looking from Ruby to Yang and shrugging, always looking like she fears intruding. "It's not really that big of a deal. You guys should keep having fun with whatever you're doing," Blake offered.

"No, it's not, Ruby and I are supposed to help Yang study for the midterms this weekend, but now I see we're busy wasting time," Weiss grunted as she set Ruby upright.

Ruby shook her head emphatically. "On the quest for love, no time is wasted!"

Weiss rolled her eyes and sighed.

Yang rubbed her neck and looked to Blake. "You're not really interrupting anything, we were on our way back anyway," Yang said. She turned a hopeful gaze back to Blake. "Besides, you and I still have a Saturday training session to get to, don't we?"

"Uh, not without _studying,"_ Weiss argued immediately.

"Yeah, Yang," Blake said softly. "I don't want to take up your study time. It's always fun to spar, but this is important."

"Oh, right," Yang laughed. "We'll just study together then-"

"Actually, if it's alright... I'm supposed to meet with Sun pretty soon," Blake said sheepishly, a small blush appearing across her cheeks.

The cold chill of Beacon finally got to Yang and she felt herself shiver back, her face slowly dropping. Shutting her mouth firmly Yang looked to her feet, hands on her hips and took a heralding breath before shaking herself free of the visible disappointment and smiling at Blake instead.

"Oh, that's great! You two should have fun," Yang laughed as joyously as she could. "Any boy who gets your nose out of a book is a god in my eyes."

Blake looked at Yang, as if not sure what to say before smiling and nodding. "Yeah, he's pretty great. But we're just hanging out, so I'll be back to study with everyone later."

Keeping a smile on the best she could, Yang concentrated on looking past Blake, past the soft smile and nervous tics, past the freshened up wardrobe and the slight hints of Schnee perfume.

She tried to look past it, and tried _very_ hard.

"That's fine, Blake," Weiss said with a toss of her hair. "We're not worried about you for midterms. You're well read _and_ a favorite of Professor Port's. _Some_ of us have to study more though!"

Yang tried to ignore Blake's goodbye, even as she smiled and nodded back. But in doing so she _wasn't_ able to ignore Ruby's looks and the realization dawning on her sister's face.

Once again, Yang felt her face drop, but this time it was because the jig was up.

* * *

Watching Ruby and Yang was always a treat to Blake.

Having a family, in any form, was still so fresh and new to her that every peering into it still felt grand. She loved watching the sisters goofing off, caring for each other. She really, truly did. It was like seeing a whole other side to them.

Still, there were many new and exciting parts of life to Blake since she came to Beacon, since she decided to become a huntress. And a lot of that also had to do with Sun.

Not wanting to be late, she waved to her teammates and friends, watching as Weiss confidently nodded her off, Ruby whipped herself back and forth between emphatically waving and looking worriedly to Yang, and as Yang... Well, Yang gave a small wave, uncharacteristic of her bombastic and supportive personality. It was just from the wrist, with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Blake couldn't help but pause on it, really take in Yang's expression, before awkwardly walking away from them all and heading to her rendezvous with Sun.

It felt strange to leave, but she had to. She had to because she had been looking forward to meeting Sun _all_ day. Even if her more immediate concern for Yang was making the butterflies in her stomach take new form.

Fortunately, it all seemed to go away the moment she walked past the trees of the courtyard and paused at the rustling of their leaves.

A suspicious smile grew on her lips as she stopped and stepped back, looking up toward the branches. Her head tilted and she raised her brows at the trees.

"I wonder what _that_ ruckus could be," she hummed to herself out loud just before the leaves gave way and Sun lowered from the tree upside down.

"Surprised?" he asked with a wide grin.

"That you're monkeying around?" Blake joked. "Not even slightly."

Sun laughed before dropping from the tree and managing to land on his feet. "You're quite the comedian today," he joked right back, standing by her with a tilt to his head. "I wouldn't be responsible for that good mood, now would I?"

"Nope," Blake lied before turning on her heels and heading toward the campus exit. "Not in the slightest."

"Well," Sun responded, smoothly brushing up beside her and hooking his elbow with hers, "let's see if I can at least add to it!"

Blake couldn't take the small smile from her face no matter what she tried.

Dates with Sun, if they were even really called that, were just about the fun of being around someone else. It wasn't like anything else she had ever known before him, before Beacon even. There wasn't an agenda or a plan or training involved with any of it.

It was _fun._ And it was _good._

A day spent walking the streets of town was not a waste, and a park was not a useless crawl awaiting the next event. It was just time spent with each other. It was time, with Blake, that wasn't treated as a distraction from a cause.

And because of that, they could walk and talk, sit and drink coffee on a patio, stick their heads into any store that seemed unique or interesting.

It was just them as they stepped into a funny haberdashery at Sun's urgings and began to try on hats of all sorts.

"Oh, _this_ looks your style!" he said emphatically, grabbing the largest, pinkest sunhat Blake had ever seen and throwing it over her head.

Blake blinked and looked into the mirror before them. She couldn't help the snort that escaped her as she saw the image.

" _My_ style?" she questioned.

"Yeah! Just like _this_ one," Sun continued before throwing a fruit covered hat over his own head and crossing his arms proudly, " _definitely_ mine."

Blake's mouth opened before she couldn't help but snort. She covered her mouth and laughed. Sun joined her, going for a bonnet next before the man at the front of the store yelled.

"Hey! What are you two kids tearing up over there?" he grouchily demanded.

They looked to each other, Blake slowly reaching to remove the hat Sun put on her.

"Don't worry, I've got this," Sun promised before stepping over to the cashier, smooth grin on his face and hands thrown up slightly in a shrug. "Sorry, Sir. I'm just trying to find the perfect hat for my lovely date over there-"

The man sputtered in response before pointing a shaking hand at Sun. "I don't need your kind as customers here."

Immediately, all the good will the night had generated left Blake's body. She felt her heart seize in her chest. Her jaw clenched angrily.

Sun's own mouth hung open for a moment before he looked to Blake then back to the cashier. He scowled slightly. "Just because we're teenagers doesn't mean we don't have money, sir," he tried desperately to give the man an out.

Blake watched the man's head shake in response as she angrily slammed the sunhat back on the top of the shelves Sun got it from.

"Not _teenagers._ You. _Faunus,"_ the old man snapped. "Your White Fang buddies have ruined more of my shipments than I care to count. Now _get out."_

Not knowing when to back down, Sun shook his head and stepped closer to the counter. "Now listen here, I am _not_ a member of the White Fang. I'm just a kid-"

"Get _out_!" the man ordered.

Blake grabbed Sun's arm and pulled him toward the door. "He doesn't want us, Sun. Let it go."

She has almost pulled Sun away when she notices the shift of the man behind the counter again. He was still shaking his head in that way that was very tempting for Blake to just knock it off.

"You're fine, ma'am" he clarified. "I just don't want the Faunus in here."

Again, Blake felt every fiber of her being lock up. It was a shock to her system, nearly knocked the breath out of her. She looked at the man in slight horror as his words caught up to her, as the look Sun was giving her grew harder and harder to read.

Years - a _lifetime -_ of pride for herself, for her birthright and people, melted away. Her chest clenched painfully.

She had never more wanted to reach up and tear the stupid bow from her head more since arriving at Beacon - to definitively declare herself more than human at a casual glance, but her hand never moved.

The only thing her body seemed capable of doing was letting her mouth grow drier.

She _couldn't_ reveal herself, even to stand by Sun. And she had never felt more unworthy of the happiness and joy he had brought her in response.

"C'mon," Sun said softly, intwining his fingers with hers. "We'll just leave-"

Blake moved without thinking, turning to Sun, grabbing his head, and pulling him into a kiss without hesitation right in front of the shopkeeper.

He was stiff in response, surprised, and more than a little confused, but to Blake it said enough.

A kiss wasn't standing by him as a fellow Faunus.

She stepped back from him, eyes brimming with tears, and searched his face for a proper response. Sun just looked at her, eyes wide.

Then it dawned on her - it was their _first kiss._

 _"Get out of my store!"_ the man roared, but Blake was already racing for the exit.

It wasn't enough.

"Blake!" Sun yelled, chasing after, but Blake knew he didn't know the city like she did, knew he wasn't going to be nearly as fast as she was.

She ran for Beacon and didn't look back, too busy wiping away her shaming tears even if she had wanted to.

* * *

Sun was caught off guard.

There were at least a dozen ways he had anticipated for the date to go wrong, but Blake's departure had not been one of them. Nor had he expected Blake to be so much faster than himself.

"Blake! Blake, wait!" he yelled as they chased across beacon through the courtyard. "That old guy - he was an idiot! Don't think anything about him! Blake! C'mon!"

For the third time he caught up to her, but he had wised up beyond reaching for her again. Instead he ran through her shadow copy and kept his focus on the distant Blake ahead.

He ached because as much as he loved her, he was growing to hate how good she was at running.

Booking it across the campus, Sun watched from a closing distance as Blake hesitated just by her friends' grouping at the dormitory's doorthen disappeared within its walls despite the confused callings of the rest of team RWBY.

Slowing his own stride, Sun approached the confused girls just in time to see Weiss' sharp hell turn toward him. Somewhat irrationally, he thought how it was the quickest he had ever seen someone's righteous fury turned on him.

"What happened to Blake?" Yang asked more broadly, her face wrought with concern as she frowned at the door. She seemed frozen yet prompted to move, completely torn between the two.

Ruby shared her sister's concerned expression but her wide eyes were concentrated on Sun. "Sun, what's wrong wth her? Is... is everything going to be alright? Did something happen while you guys were out?"

Sun opened his mouth to try to explain but nothing came out. He wasn't entirely sure himself what had effected Blake so much at the shop. While unsavory, it certainly wasn't _new_ behavior for either of them, and it hadn't been toward her at all.

But, given Weiss' expression, he should have thought of _something_ to give them and had done it _quicker._

"Don't ask him," Weiss snapped. "I can tell with one look - either he knows because he's responsible or he's an idiot and has no idea."

Ruby looked somewhat aghast at Weiss. "We don't know that," she attempted to argue.

"Really" Weiss countered just as Yang ripped her gaze from the doors long enough to join the others in staring at Sun. "Then tell us what it is, Sun."

Still caught off guard, Sun shifted his feet and rubbed at his neck awkwardly. Reluctantly he said, "Well... there was this guy at the hat shop we went in and... stuff got bad for a second. But it didn't have to do with Blake. Not really, it was all me. So... I guess... I... don't know. Really."

The rest of team RWBY stared at him guardedly.

Weiss crossed her arms and shook her head. "Typical. Typical brainless boy."

Narrowing his eyes, Sun couldn't resist pouting. "Hey!" he began only to feel a familiar presence pop up beside him.

"Somebody rang?" Neptune asked cheekily. He paused as Sun gave him a wary look and did a double take of the scene around him. "Um... what happened?"

"I _don't know,"_ Sun repeated, feeling more exasperated by the minute when Yang stepped up.

It honestly wasn't that often that Sun had seen less than a smile his way from Yang. She seemed to share in his cheer and humor most days, take enthusiastic measures in making him feel at home among them, especially with Blake around.

But in that moment he stood face to face with a very different Yang. There was no smile, but a _fire_ was lit behind her eyes all the same. She looked at him like he was a bug to be squashed.

" _Nothing_ you did hurt Blake?" she pressed darkly. "You're _sure?"_

"I... don't know," Sun said, feeling his stomach churn as he went over the evening over and over again in his mind. "I don't think so."

"Hey, if my main man says he doesn't think so, I think we're golden," Neptune replied quickly, moving to put his hands on Sun's shoulders.

Weiss cocked her head to the side. "You're willing to stand up to _Yang_ for him?"

Neptune linked once and dropped his hands back to his side. "No one here said _that_ exactly," he amended.

Sun gave Neptune a look and waved to the girls. "Gee, thanks."

The blue haired boy shrugged back. "What are best friends for?"

When he looked back, Sun could see that Yang remained unmoved, her eyes narrowed at him.

"As much as I like jokes, I don't think right now's the time to be funny _or_ to chase Blake," she warned.

"I agree," Weiss said firmly.

Ruby stepped between them all, releasing a string of awkward laughs. "Ooookay," she said. "I think we're all going to need to calm down."

Not in any position to argue, Sun stepped back. Ruby nodded agreeably then pushed Yang back some to make her point to her own teammates as well.

"Okay, so the most important thing to do right now is to take care of Blake after... well, _whatever_ happened," her eyes shot back and forth between the groups. " _Which we don't know was anyone's fault."_

 _"_ Fine," Weiss huffed defensively.

"Fine," Neptune replied.

Somewhat more miserably, Sun simply nodded. "Okay."

When Yang didn't budge again, Ruby elbowed her harshly. Yang twitched at it before gingerly rubbing her side and locking eyes with Sun. Her anger faded again to concern. "Okay," she agreed quietly.

"Oookay then," Ruby cheered. "Let's check on Blake!" She paused and looked sympathetically to Sun and Neptune. "It's getting close to non-visiting hours and..."

"We don't need me accidentally making things worse," Sun said. "I know."

Weiss sniffed and turned curtly toward the door. "Look at that. He knows something after all."

Ruby forced a small smile and followed Weiss through the door.

Yang lingered for a moment, uncharacteristically unsure of herself before carrying through.

And though every bit of common sense still in his brain warned him against it, Sun reached out and grabbed her shoulder. He didn't even flinch as she shrugged his hand off immediately. "Wait... Yang..."

She turned and looked expectantly at him.

"Just... You're Blake's best friend. _Please_ tell her... Tell Blake she doesn't have to hide from me," he said, feeling his chest clench. "I don't care if she hides from everyone in the world, but... she doesn't _have_ to. And definitely not fro me."

Yang's eyes searched his features before nodding and continuing on into the dorm.

Sun watched as the door closed and ran a hand through his hair.

Neptune looked back and forth before throwing up his hands. " _What_ happened?"

Repeating himself for what felt like the millionth time, Sun said, "I don't know."


	2. More In Common

So I actually really debated completely put this one on indefinite hiatus given what happened in RWBY since I posted the last chapter haha But, at the end of the day, I really love this polyship and I don't think asking for the suspension of disbelief on just where in the RWBY timeline t his happens is outside the realm of possibilities, so I'm going to try to finish up this story real quick. If for no other reason than to give myself the self-satisfaction of finishing my first multichapter RWBY fic. So, sincere apologies for the massively long wait between chapters. I don't plan on it taking that long again if I can help it! I had to deal with a bit of a justification on my own part with continuing the story.

And a special thanks to almea, ephemeraltea, and anchesann0 on , tumblr and AO3 for the feedback!

RWBY and related characters © Rooster Teeth  
story © RenaRoo

 **Forever**  
Chapter Two: More In Common

There was nothing satisfying about the tired _THUD THUD_ of Yang's fists against the training room punching bag.

Energy and heat were radiating from her every blow, but she felt no relief from the boiling inside her gut.

Ruby watched on intently, saying nothing as she sat on the bench, feet dangling, Zwei in her lap. If she had anything to say – and very rarely did Ruby Rose _not_ have anything to say – she was not offering it until Yang asked.

Yang punched hard enough that the bag's chain broke, sending the bag into the distant wall.

Zwei barked and Ruby flinched but otherwise she stayed still. She had an elder's patience in her eyes that Yang could not be more thankful for if she tried.

"I thought Sun was making her happy," Yang finally spat out. "I thought… I thought she was getting happy, Ruby."

Nodding, Ruby gave Zwei's stubby body long strokes of her hand. "I know, Yang. We all did," she replied.

"I was fine as long as she was happy!" Yang growled. "That's all I wanted, Ruby! I just wanted a chance for her to be happy."

"I know," Ruby replied meaningfully.

Taking a breath and running her hands through sweat slicked hair, Yang sighed and gazed at her sister. "You don't think Sun really did anything. Do you?"

Ruby gave a sympathetic smile and kicked her feet. "I think everyone could do a better job about being honest with how we feel."

Putting her hands on her hips, Yang hummed and rolled her eyes back as she feigned considering the option. "Hmm. No."

Sputtering a bit, Ruby jumped to her feet, forcing Zwei to leap down as well. "C'mon, Yang!"

"Ruby, Blake's upset. You _really_ think airing out Yang Problems is going to help at all?" she asked, raising her brow.

Blinking Ruby shrugged. "Maybe?" She jumped forward as Yang began to walk toward her gym bag. "Yang! The truth sets you free!"

"I'm pretty sure _some things_ are best left unsaid, little sister," Yang replied easily. "I'm there for Blake when she wants me to be. I just don't think she really wants me to be right now."

Wearing a frown that just never properly fit her face, Ruby came up to Yang's side and shook her head. "That's not what I think."

Yang gave her sister a curious look. "Oh?"

"I think, no matter what, Blake chose _you_ first," Ruby reminded her. "So maybe you don't want to tell her _some things._ That's okay! But you can't say that Blake doesn't want _you_ there the most of anyone. Right?"

She took pause, looking Ruby up and down before giving her sister a gentle smile. "Where'd you get so smart, little sister?"

Giving her nervous giggle, Ruby waved off the compliment. "Oh, you know…"

They grinned at each other before laughing in unison, " _Not_ from Uncle Qrow."

The laughter continued as Yang leaned forward and gently kissed the top of Ruby's head. "Thanks," she said before heading out of the gym.

Finding Blake took a shocking lack of effort on Yang's part after that.

There was a dead end in the labyrinth of halls that was Beacon. None of the students tended to take it due to its proximity to the various teachers' offices. And probably for that very reason, Blake tended to curl up with a book on one of its benches.

It wasn't often enough that it should have been first on Yang's mind to check, and yet that's exactly where Yang felt compelled to travel first. And it's _exactly_ where Blake ended up sitting.

Blake wasn't reading so much as she had a book propped in the exact spot she seemed intent on staring.

Yang herself was gross all over – sweat spots, hair standing up in all the wrong places, and grit under her nails from all the ancient punching bags and dusty dummies of the student gym.

She thought almost comically how she might've carried some reluctance in her approach if she had been anyone else at all.

But she was Yang Xiao Long. So instead of worrying, she plopped down at Blake's side and stretched out to make Blake's space her own in the silly way that brought the hint of a smile to the Faunus' face.

Blake lowered her book and turned amber eyes on Yang.

"Guess I'm found," she said lightly.

Yang reached her arms behind her head and leaned back. "Guess you are." She paused and blinked thoughtfully before turning to look directly at Blake. Softer she said, "If you're okay with that. I can _totally_ get lost if you need to get back to your happy place or something."

Almost alarmed by the offer, Blake folded her book over her knee. "No, no. This is good." Her coy smile slightly returned. "You're a pretty grand _happy place,_ Yang."

Smiling cheekily, Yang nodded to her. "Yeah. I _am_ pretty grand. In the stinking, after a good workout kinda way. I hear that's irresistible to the kids these days."

Blake covered her mouth as she laughed. It was a light, airy sound that felt like a soft song. The sort that left someone absolutely breathless when they heard it.

No matter how many times Yang heard that laugh, it caught her off guard and made her own smile brightened as she listened to it.

"You really are a good happy place," Blake reiterated. "You joke, but it's true." Her eyes grew clouded, quiet, and she looked away again. Her mouth pressed to a thin line. "You get things about me, Yang. Things I've never seen someone else get. Things I always thought would, well, _weigh_ on someone else as much as they do me."

Finally, she turned those burningly passionate eyes back on Yang. "But you make me know we can live with these things and still be… well. Still be _bright."_

Watching Blake's face closely, Yang tried so hard to see if there was even more to Blake's statements than what she was giving. But with Blake there was always such a wall, so much more guarded than what could be seen.

It was really just _time_ that had helped Yang read Blake as much as she did by that point.

"I'm not so special," she said depreciatingly.

"Oh, stop. You _are,"_ Blake insisted. "You don't see me opening up to other people like this, do you?"

There was a flame of hope in Yang's heart and it took every bit of common sense left in her head to not grab it and run.

"What about _Sun?"_ she forced out instead.

A bit surprised, Blake blinked. To Yang's pain, she withdrew slightly and turned her gaze back to the blank, bookless space before her.

"No, not Sun," she said back.

Feeling like there was a hand wrapped around her heart, squeezing for all it was worth, Yang bit her lip. She leaned forward. "Blake… did something happen? Because… Because if it did, I can kill a man. Y'know. If it makes you feel any better whatsoever."

To that, Blake blinked a few times rapidly before looking somewhat aghast toward Yang, putting a hand to her heart. "What? _No!"_

 _"_ Sorry, I was just worried about you," Yang explained quickly. "Sun's a decent guy. I guess. I thought. As far as we know." She slumped slightly in her stature. "Actually he's fantastic. _But_ I'm always going to worry about my partner first, y'know? And if anything came down between the two of you, I'm on your side."

When their eyes met again, there was an appreciative tinge to Blake's expression.

"Sun's fine. He's great," Blake said.

"Right," Yang replied tightly. It felt like her guts were being hit with hot pokers.

"I just can't talk to him like I can you," Blake replied. "He's so… happy. And caring. And kind. I don't think he can ever understand why I make the choices I do. Like…"

Blake's hands squeezed her knee, nails digging into her stockings.

"The one thing I can't ever really talk to you about, Yang, is what it's _really_ like being a Faunus," Blake explained sadly. "I can explain, and you're _understanding_ but you don't _understand._ You've never had to deal with the way people treat us."

Yang bit back on her teeth and nodded. "Okay," she accepted. Then, under pressure, she felt herself crack a smile and crack her knuckles together. "I can still hit people who do it, though."

"You can," Blake agreed. "But… it's still not the same. And that's not your fault. It's just… I thought maybe Sun could understand what it was like. But, he's so… showy. And open. And honest."

Yang soured slightly. "Those are all lovely descriptions of someone–"

Blake turned to look at her quickly. "Until they mean that they can't understand how you feel! I mean, Yang, I could say those same things about you, but you understand why I would want to hide what I am… at least for now. You _get_ it." Blake's eyes darted back down the hall. "I don't think Sun ever will." She pulled her knees up to her chest, feet digging their heels into the bench. "I don't know if he'd ever want to."

Her heart raced. Yang considered the moment carefully. Blake was saying that she could go to _Yang_ and not _Sun_ for something.

And in that instant, Yang felt her selfishness take hold. She wanted _so badly_ to hold onto Sun's message, just to keep that the way it was.

Wanted to.

But Yang knew she wanted to see Blake happy even _more._

 _"_ Actually, Blake…" Yang said softly, "I have a message from Sun. After you took off last night."

Curious, Blake looked over Yang carefully. "You do?"

"He said… he _does_ know why you hide," Yang replied softly. "He gets it. And he doesn't care that you need to. He just… doesn't want you to have to hide from _him."_

The Faunus stared at Yang almost disbelievingly before turning in her seat. "He… _said_ that?"

Heart twisting, Yang forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah, he did," she said truthfully.

A small smile came to Blake's face and she looked to her knees.

Letting out a crushing breath herself, Yang straightened herself in her seat and leaned back, lowering her hands to her sides.

It was by accident that their fingers brushed together as she did so. It _wasn't_ so much an accident that Yang's hand lingered upon doing so.

Heat rose from the tingly tips of her fingers all the way to the bones of her cheeks as she felt Blake's cool hand against her own. It was all she could do to not immediately draw away.

Instead she turned, hoping to turn the situation with a gentle tease that was self-depreciatingly at best and painfully honest at first.

But the expression Blake wore was _far_ from receptive to any sort of comedy.

Rather, Blake looked almost _spooked._

Blinking, Yang removed her hand. "Blake? What's–"

Gathering her book, Blake got to her feet, face fully flushed. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I have to go."

"But–" Yang managed to get out just before Blake took off down the hall without a moment's more notice.

Yang sat in complete bafflement.

* * *

When the lights were out in the room, there was a generally accepted rule to not disturb one another. And as much as it may have pained Blake to admit it out loud, she did enjoy abusing that unspoken courtesy from her roommates.

After talking to Yang, Blake immediately took for their dorm room and hid away between the covers of her bed.

Several moments after that were filled with her friends – usually Yang – coming into their room, realizing Blake was hidden away in her bed, and quietly standing by before ultimately leaving her to stew in peace.

And even as daylight faded outside the window, Blake kept the hand Yang had touched over her chest and waited out the constant fluttering of her heart.

But it didn't stop.

That touch, that rush of heat that passed between them had never left. Not since Yang had touched that hand.

And her mouth remained dried with thirst at the thought of that electricity, of that touch until the same heat flushed Blake's face.

That feeling so strong and so overwhelming had not come over her since she had first felt it with Sun.

As much as she needed to avoid Sun, Blake felt another wave of guilt and heat flush her body again just at the thought of him.

Her stomach churned and clenched. Blake had to curl tightly around herself to fight it.

Her heart's beat never relented, a constant presence and even more so a constant reminder that the steady waves of heart ache were not simply in her head.

What _was_ in her head was the matter of _who._

 _Who_ was making her feel so strongly. So _bodily._

And as she tried to separate, tried to draw those lines for herself, Blake only felt only drawn stronger into the reaction.

"I don't understand," she whispered to herself. "Is it Sun or is it Yang?"

When she tried to look into herself, when she examined her feelings deep down, when she tried to move past the daunting fact that she was allowing herself to love at _all,_ Blake saw nothing to help with the question.

She loved a companion she could speak candidly to. She loved a protective, exuberant, but gentle spirit. She loved jovial natures, a direct and approachable openness. She loved radiant warmth, an electric smile, and kind eyes.

She loved a warrior that was not afraid of fun and dragging her into having it. And she loved the person who saw through to the Blake that was secretly hidden away.

"Oh, no," Blake whispered. "That's _both_ of them."

Suddenly feeling claustrophobic and panicked from the incessant beating of her heart, Blake took off from their room.

She needed space. She needed a walk. She needed _something_ that she didn't know yet.

Looking over the fountain, surprised by how clear reflections were that night under the broken moon, Blake hugged her arms and dug her claws into them.

She wondered, sometimes, about the shadows of herself that she would leave behind, and if their purpose was any deeper than the shallow reflections she saw in them.

Whether they were mere mirrors, or if they were pieces of herself she shed away entirely.

If they were things that she left, then Blake wondered even more about the person she was slowly becoming with each wisp of herself she extinguished.

And she wondered if that was how she had come to love twice at one time in her life. Maybe a piece she left next, a part of her life that was still running, would keep her from loving one of them so much as she did then.

The thought made her heart quicken and her fingers dig deeper.

"I don't want to let _either_ of them go," she said. And it was the truth for perhaps the first time that night.

"I'm sorry to intrude."

Alarmed, Blake turned immediately to face the origin of the voice and saw, with some relief, that of everyone in Beacon it was Velvet.

Her fellow faunus had an always gentle smile across her face, her chocolate colored ears bouncing slightly as she tilted her head back and forth, inspecting Blake for something almost.

Continuing, Velvet gave a curt nod to the fountain, "But I couldn't help but overhear that we're deciding to let people go," Velvet explained. "I cant even pretend to help if I don't have the _whos_ and _whys."_

Somewhat embarrassed, Blake tucked her hair back over her shoulder and glanced to the ground. "It's silly. And long," she said glancing back up to Velvet hesitantly. "And made _far_ too complicated."

Offering her kind smile still yet, Velvet came to Blake's side. "These sorts of ominous decisions usually are," she agreed. With a shining gleam to her eyes, however, Velvet waggled her ears. "But I have been told that I am a wonderful listener, Blake."

Unable to contain her laugh, Blake covered her mouth faintly and giggled. "Thank you," she said gently once the laughter mostly left her voice. "I mean it. It's just difficult to explain a problem when you barely understand it for what it is to begin with."

Respectfully nodding, Velvet folded her arms behind her back. "I can understand that." She tilted her head to the side. "But maybe we can talk about something else? Get your worries off your mind for a bit so other people don't see you standing longingly into fountains in the middle of the night."

Blushing a bit, Blake laughed. "That _would_ look strange to come across," she agreed.

Velvet squeezed her index and thumb together. "A smidge," she joked back.

They laughed together, Blake watching how genuine Velvet was with her every word. The sort of honesty that Blake wished to one day exude.

When her eyes fell upon the faunus' visible ears, Blake subconsciously reached for her own. "You're so brave, Velvet."

Blinking in surprise, Velvet put her hands on her hips. "Now _that's_ a change of subject if I've ever heard it," she said with a smirk.

"I mean it," Blake pressed. "To be yourself while knowing how the world will act about it… to be honest when it's hard. You're so brave. And i wish I could be that brave most days." She glanced to her hands. "I use to take so much pride in who I am. I still do. But running away from the choices I've made because of that pride… It's made it so hard to remember who I am. What I should embrace."

When she looked up at velvet, Blake was met by a somewhat perplexed look.

"I feel like we're in another conversation," Velvet offered almost apologetically. "And I think you're braver than you realize, Blake. Especially since you're honest to the person it's hardest to be honest to."

Her turn to look confused, Blake furrowed her brows at Velvet. "Who?"

"Yourself," Velvet said confidently. She walked on, pausing to put a firm hand on Blake's shoulder. "I know you'll find your answers very soon. And I know that because your face tells me you've already told yourself the truth about what they are. And that's usually the hardest part." She walked on, smiling softly as she said, "Everything else tends to fall in place after that, love. So godspeed to it!"

Blake stared after Velvet, a hand clutched at her chest.

* * *

There was something more than a little pathetic about the way Sun hung around Beacon's grounds gate, shifting between balancing on the wall and dangling from the various trees. It was the sort of desperate walk around that probably should have been obvious to every passing student that he was waiting on someone that, in all honesty, probably wasn't coming to him.

What teasing Neptune and the rest of his crew could give him about that was another issue entirely.

Still he waited, and he told himself that none of it would matter the moment Blake came by and he – totally prepared and having thought of a million ways to start the conversation – would be at the ready to swoop in.

If he didn't die of boredom first.

Sighing, Sun hung from the trees, closed his eyes and thought over the failure of a date once again.

It wasn't his fault, by any means, that the haberdashery had been ran by a bigoted old man – who could have seen that coming? – but he did suppose that there was something about the kiss that Blake didn't like.

Which was not good _and_ was confusing because from Sun's perspective, the kiss was not only _good_ but had left him with sparks behind his eyes.

He didn't know if he'd _ever_ had a kiss like that before. And he was leaning towards _hadn't_ the further he went on about it in thought.

His body relaxed some, thinking about the kiss and the feelings and _Blake_ when he realized, a moment too late, that _someone_ was staring at him.

The hair on his tail stood on end and in a single maneuver, Sun flipped from his upside down perch, propelled back, and landed a few feet away on his feet, hand at the ready to grab his staff.

Which only served to make his position more awkward when he looked up and saw it was Yang standing there staring.

"Oh, hey," Sun said in a blink before pushing up to stand upright. "Morning!"

Yang looked at him then to the branch he had been hanging from before she gave a smirk and cocked her head. "Yikes, you startle awake easy," she joked, putting a hand on her hip.

"Pfft, no I don't," Sun said back, fanning his hand at the very notion. "I was just getting in some exercise! How else am I supposed to keep my physique."

"Literally any other way," she joked before shrugging. "But hey, if that's the story you want to keep for yourself you're welcome to it!"

Sun clicked his tongue against his teeth and glanced around Yang. He was a little _too_ hopeful in thinking that just maybe the rest of team RWBY would be always stuck to each other like glue.

Yang followed his gaze, turning to look behind herself before looking back. "Something up?"

"Yeah I'm just…" Sun sighed and shook his head. "No, I was just… wondering if you knew where Blake was. I've been trying to get a hold of her for like _two days_ and she's given me nothing."

A well set frown appeared on Yang's face and she dropped her gaze as she shook her head. "No, I've not seen much of Blake recently either," she sighed.

Feeling more than a little disheartened, Sun's shoulders dropped. "Oh… so I guess you didn't get to tell her my message."

"No, I told her," Yang said quickly. "She… was glad to hear it. Real glad."

Picking up some, Sun looked at Yang happily. "Yeah!?"

"Yeah," the Beacon student nodded. "You know… before she freaked out and ran away from me without an explanation. So…"

"Oh," he laughed awkwardly. "You, too?"

Groaning, Yang rubbed her face. "Yeah. I don't know _what_ happened there."

"And you haven't seen Blake really since then?" he asked, feeling the situation was _hauntingly_ familiar as he crossed his arms and looked to Yang sympathetically.

Scowling at herself, Yang shook her head. "Basically not at _all._ Which, you know, is impressive since I share a bunkbed with her."

"Kinda sounds like we're being avoided," Sun laughed.

"Kinda sounds like we are," Yang sighed. She finally looked back up at him, an unavoidable smirk crossing her face as she did so. "Almost sounds like we're losers together."

"Total losers," Sun nodded in agreement. He glanced toward the grounds clock and put his hands on his hips as he shook his head at the time. "Well, I was planning on asking Blake to go with me to get some lunch. But it's no longer lunch, and I'd hate to put someone on the spot if they're genuinely trying to avoid me."

"That's nice of you," Yang joked.

He glanced toward Yang and shrugged as he asked, "Want to be avoided together? Get some lunch?"

Yang blinked, surprised, and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know…"

"If you're thinking of waiting around in the courtyard by sleeping in trees and walking on the garden wall, I'm going to save you the time and let you know: you can keep it up for hours and it doesn't look like Blake comes around any faster," he said with a wiggle of his brows.

Laughing, Yang offered her hand. "Make it getting ice cream instead and I'll _totally_ be avoided with you."

Sun gleefully took the offered hand and gave it a nice shake. "Absolute done deal!"

Yang paid for the ice creams, and for a brief moment that alone was enough for Sun to consider her his new favorite person.

"Ruby and I get ice cream from this place when we're doing the whole sister-quality-time thing," Yang explained a bit gleefully.

She was competitive, keeping watch of just how much faster she needed to go to be ahead on eating her banana split before Sun was done. A fact that was so funny to him that he kept chomping down more than his brain freeze could stand to just get a reaction from her.

"It's gotta be great having a sister around on your team to keep an eye on," he offered.

Humming around her spoon, Yang nodded. "It is, but I watch out for _all_ of my team. Especially Blake," she informed him. There was a serious twist to the shape of her brows as she looked at him. "She's my partner at the end of the day. I've _got_ to look after her."

Sun tilted his head, sucking on his plastic spoon. "You're that protective of everyone?" he asked.

"Well," Yang laughed. "When you're protective of people… _kinda_ gives you a good excuse to punch people who deserve it."

"I hear that," Sun laughed back. "Righteous punches for the better good I'm all about."

They snorted together at the sentiment before coming up to a sidewalk bench that was open. They stopped casually, but neither made the move to sit down first. Rather, they paused to evaluate each other.

Yang's eyes simmered with something as she looked to Sun, mouth twisting in a subtle frown before she finished off her sundae and cleared her throat.

"Sorry if this is a weird question," she began.

"I _love_ weird questions," Sun joked.

"But… do you have something you're driven toward?" Yang asked. "I mean… something that _really_ drives you?"

Confused by the question, Sun raised an eyebrow. "Drives me to…?"

"What you're doing? You know… being a Hunter? Whatever you're doing here right now?" Yang continued, voice picking up a bit in volume as she continued. "Do you feel… do you feel like you're doing more than going with the flow?"

"I… don't know?" he replied, blinking in surprise at the request. "I mean, I guess. I want to be a Hunter, despite what everyone may think. And that's important. But I think… I think going with the flow's important. Things change. Isn't it better to be ready to change with them?"

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Yang rubbed her temples. "Ugh."

Sun, rightly lost, gave an animated shrug to her. "Sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear, I guess."

"No it's… _ugh!"_ Yang groaned, throwing up her hands. "That's what _I_ do! I don't really have a reason for doing all this yet either. I just know I'm good at it. And my friends are good at it. And we're all _really_ good at it together."

"That sounds like a good bunch of reasons," Sun said back.

"Yeah, but _Blake_ has a reason for being a Huntress, for doing what she does," Yang groaned. " _Everything_ she does have purpose. Don't you get it? That's why we can't relate to her right now! Either one of us. I just… react. _You_ just react. It's what we do."

Frowning a bit, Sun put his hands on his hips. "Well… I mean. I'm doing a lot of stuff _for_ Blake lately. Hell, that seems to be the reason I do _most_ stuff lately." He glanced to Yang. "I think you're _reacting_ a lot for Blake, too, right? Isn't that why we're here?"

Yang looked at him cautiously before letting out a frustrated sigh. It became a small smile despite herself.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I guess you're right, there."

"It'd be a lot better if it was a reason we could… y'know… _punch righteously_ for," Sun snarked.

Smile picking up in the corners some more, Yang straightened and looked contently at Sun. Then, however, her eyes wandered past him, brows raising slightly in surprise.

"Hey, Sun," she all but whispered.

"Huh?" He said before turning to face the same way.

"I think," Yang continued as he followed her gaze toward the alley across the street, seeing some figures slowly putting on some familiar white and black masks. "I think we _can_ punch righteously."

Sun felt his own smile grow ear to ear as he cracked his knuckles.

"Perfect."


	3. Through Your Eyes

Told you guys I'd try to get the next one out sooner! The irony of me writing an OT3 fic is hilarious, but I'm doing two different ones at the same time. I'm really insecure about writing romantic relationships in general, so I can't tell you guys how much your wonderful support and general patience with me and these updates has meant. And now we're almost done! Just two chapters after this one : )

And a special thanks to anchesann0, almea, orangesandlemons, CABRALFAN27, Luxaria, staininspace, and secretlystephaniebrown on tumblr and AO3 for the feedback!

RWBY and related characters © Rooster Teeth  
story © RenaRoo

 **Forever**  
Chapter Three: Through Your Eyes

Yang wasn't sure if it was all that good of her character as a huntress that the first time that day the thought of punching Sun just for closure hadn't crossed her mind was as they raced together to go after the White Fang.

There was also the hypocrisy of the situation haunting her as they traveled.

After all, Yang had been the main descending voice against Blake's personal vendetta against the White Fang. And against Sun for that matter.

Yet there she was.

"Do we have any idea what these guys are doing?" she asked.

"Bad stuff," Sun answered decisively. He then gave Yang a cautious glance. "Do we really need more info than that?"

They came to a halt at a corner and began to watch as the White Fang members they had been tracking met with some awaiting White Fang guardsmen. Together, Sun and Yang waited quietly, seeing if at their distance they could make any of the conversation out.

After a moment lost to the silence, Yang let out a flustered sigh. She glanced back to Sun who was still seemingly looking to hear the White Fang.

"We don't really need to know what's going on to stop them," she agreed.

Sun smirked and cracked his knuckles. "Alright, sounds good! Let's go then–"

"But _I_ need to understand," Yang interrupted. "For Blake. I need to understand the White Fang beyond just the 'bad stuff.'" She watched as Sun slowly cocked his head to the side. "Like it or not – and I think _neither_ of us really like it – Blake joined them at first for a _good_ reason. She believed in something. And for _Blake_ I'm willing to find out. Up close and personal."

When her gaze dropped back down to Sun, Yang saw that the Faunus' eyebrows were racing for his hairline.

"I mean, not to discourage the thought," he began, "but please let me _completely_ discourage the thought 'cuz, uh, no to brag about it but you _do_ happen to have a friendlier Faunus on hand who would _totally_ be willing to aid you on that quest. Y'know. Without also working toward the extinction of your entire race kind of thing in the background."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks, Sun. But it's not _just_ the Faunus part. I now I'll never _totally_ get that," she acknowledged. "You weren't a part of the White Fang. You never felt… I don't know! Betrayed? _Confused?_ by them."

The other student's nose curled with his frown. "I've felt those things, all of them," Sun argued. "You and Blake are right about how I've never joined the White Fang. I've _always_ felt suspicious toward groups that work to make people as anonymous and the-same as regular humans already pretend all Faunus are. Even _before_ they were causing damage and breaking laws. The whole mask thing made all Faunus the same. _Just_ like people already saw us." he then threw a sharp toothed grin Yang's way. "Besides, I'd have to hide this face."

"So glad to see you taking this so seriously," Yang deadpanned.

"Alright, alright, at least give me this much to say on it," Sun countered. He waited for Yang's expectant look before continuing.

"Blake joined the White Fang because of all the truly messed up things in the world when it comes to being a Faunus. That much both of us get, Faunus or not. But she also joined because the White Fang? having the same mask as everyone else? _I_ don't get it, but I think it takes what about being a Faunus forces everyone to feel vulnerable and weak, and lets you trade it in for an identity of _unified power._ And someone she looked up to and trusted as a fellow Faunus took that thing that made her proud and powerful and turned it into something hurtful and shameful. I don't think Blake's been ashamed to be a Faunus for even an _instant._ But I think she's ashamed to have given that identity up willingly, even if temporarily, and allowed it to be a weapon for someone _else_ to use to hurt people."

Eyes widened, Yang looked on Son with absolute awe.

He gave a wide grin and flicked his tail. "So? How'd I do?"

Returning to some of her composure, Yang huffed favorably and gave Sun's shoulder a light punch. "You might prove to be more than good abs yet, Sun."

"All I can do is try," he joked back before turning to look back into the alley. "By the way… even _without_ you being a chatterbox? _Super_ hard to hear whatever these guys are talking about."

"Sure, blame _me_ instead of your big long campaign speech," Yang snarked in return as she focused on the White Fang. "Since you're so eye opening even without the inside dish on these guys, we could just bust them up for the sake of busting them up. Like you said: we know it's bad. So why not?"

"We could," Sun nodded in agreement. "And truth be told I _want_ to do that…"

Yang raised a brow. " _Buuuuut?"_

"Well, like you said, I _am_ a Faunus," Sun offered, standing up straight and dusting off his shirt. His tail gave an exaggerated gesture to draw attention to itself for good measure again. "And the White Fang _is_ interested in sharing their mission statement with other willing Faunus…"

"I'm pretty sure we've done this before and failed," Yang pointed out, folding her arms.

"You're against the plan?" Sun asked, a bit surprised.

"Yes. But not because _I'm_ against it, per se, but because I think Blake would be against it," Yang explained. "See, this is a _Yang_ plan you're offering. Deep down, I love it. But… We may have _two_ too many Yangs to pull pull it off."

Sun's eyes flickered with something mischievous. "Blake's not here for now. It's just Sun and Yang. So. If things go bad–"

" _When_ things go bad," Yang corrected.

"–who better to save Yang than Yang?" he continued.

"Hmm," Yang smirked, rubbing her chin. "I like the way you think, Yang."

Sun gave a bow. "It's always a pleasure, Sun."

For the first time since she met him, Yang was beginning to see what Blake liked about the guy. Which hurt _so_ very much since the answer felt so close and familiar to herself.

* * *

Velvet's words carried a certain weight that Blake had never thought they would.

The whole day, Blake found herself thinking on them. The advice stuck with her something fierce. It made her feel like perhaps she should have gone to her fellow Faunus more often.

The possibilities of how spot on Velvet could be when she _was_ fully informed on the situation were mind boggling.

All the same, her stressing and deep reflection for hours upon hours had exhausted what reserves of energy Blake had left.

With a book firmly under her arm, Blake made her way back to the dorm room at long last. What time she wasn't going to curl up and nap, Blake planned on reading to her heart's content.

She couldn't live through another existential bout. At least not on an an empty stomach or without an overdue nap.

But, as often had been the case since forming team RWBY, Blake's plans took a backseat to reality once she opened the door to their shared room.

Blake's arms were grabbed and she was yanked forward just before the door slammed behind her. She found herself blinking in surprise as both Weiss and Ruby stood in her face.

"Hello?" Blake attempted.

"We have hardly seen you in days!" Weiss exploded loud enough to make both Blake and Ruby flinch back. "Where have you been? Why are you avoiding your team?"

Ruby gave a strained laugh before gently pushing herself between Blake and Weiss. "Not that _everything_ you do is all our business, of course," Ruby explained. "If there's private stuff between you and other people…"

Mostly inert despite Ruby's best efforts, Weiss stood her ground and glared suspiciously at Blake, hands on her hips.

"Things you keep from your Team? Your _friends?"_ Weiss demanded. "I would hope you realized these things can affect us, too! Especially if it involves a _boy_ that we could absolutely deal with for you if-and- _when_ you need us to!"

Blake continued to blink in surprise until the meaning of the words caught up with her. She gave a small, half-smile to Weiss and hugged her book against her chest. "Weiss, are you attempting to show affection?" she asked. "You almost sound genuinely concerned about my wellbeing.

Weiss' face lit up. "No! Just as a teammate strictly."

Relieved by the turn in the conversation, Ruby nodded. "We are caring a lot, Blake! You're right!"

Letting out an ugly sigh, Weiss let her shoulders drop and she glared at their leader. "Do you listen to anything I say, Ruby?"

"Guys, I'm fine," Blake interrupted. She brushed past them on the way to her bed. "I just… have had a lot to think about lately and it's been exhausting. But I needed the time alone to get through it." She turned and offered a genuine smile to her friends, small as it may have looked. "I'm sorry if I worried you at all."

"Awww," Ruby cooed, putting a hand over her chest. "Forgiven! Completely!"

Always more difficult, Weiss stood with her frown tightening around the edges. "What are you going to do now?" she asked instead.

"I'm curling up with a book and catching up on my sleep," Blake informed them. "Yang was right a while back. No matter what's going on, I can't handle the situation as beast as I can if I'm not rested and well performing."

As offhanded as mentioning Yang was, Blake felt her heart tighten in her chest, her face grow flushed.

But then it occurred to her that Yang herself hadn't been in the conversation.

Glancing around the room, Blake realized Yang wasn't present at _all._

"Wait," Blake spoke up. "Where _is_ Yang?"

"Good question!" Ruby replied.

"She left with Sun earlier today," Weiss answered more completely, though her disgust was apparent. "Didn't even ask us to go along. So rude."

Her heart picking up a beat, Blake looked at her teammates. "Yang and… Sun? Together?" _Without her?_

"Yeah, it was kinda weird," Ruby admitted.

Blake took a breath and headed for the door. She _had_ to find them and figure out what was going on. Her tiredness dissipated into anxiety and confusion as she left her book on the shelf at the door and took the took the rest of the way out.

"Hey! What about needing rest!?" Weiss called after her, but it was far too late in Blake's mind to go back.

* * *

Yang's concerns have been well founded, but Sun appreciated that recognized spark in her eyes.

She wanted the fight, too.

He wouldn't have thought it before, but their similarities made so much sense when he lined them back to back. And, really, he had to wonder how they hadn't brought them together sooner.

But such extracurricular deep thought wasn't something Sun was up for. Rather, he was much more up for the excitement in his approach to the White Fang members before them.

He hoped his suspicions were right. Even the members who had already been in dress seemed to be much lower ranking recruits than all the members they had run ins with thus far. And what modicum of his fame in Mistral probably did not reach far in Vale. And what had was likely beneficial – he was a known Faunus.

All added up to a halfway decent excuse for him to approach the White Fang members with smooth confidence. Even when they turned to him in complete alarm.

"Woah!" he called out, raising his hands as well as making a point of raising his tail. "It's cool. I'm just a curious Faunus, guys. Little frustrated, little concerned about my fellow Faunus. Thought I should check on you guys when you went into the alley." He paused before driving home his point. "Faunus gotta look out for each other and all that."

They still looked over him suspiciously. Then, the two in full costume came up to him.

"So… you guys new around here? I sure am," Sun rambled. He kept his hands up even as they began patting him down. "Everyone seems super friendly, though. And handsy."

They spun Sun around to continue the pat don. he bounced slightly as they checked in his back pockets. "Yikes!" he joked.

Sun kept still despite his jovial tone. But his eyes wandered back to the corner where he knew Yang was still watching. Once he saw her, he offered a wide grin to reassure her. She offered a thumbs up right back.

"He's clean," one of the White Fangs announced before they spun him back around to face them all.

"Of course I am!" Sun replied. "If that's what you were checking for, you shoulda just let me know! Could have saved us all some time."

"Hey, stop monkeying around," another Order member snapped.

Sun tilted his head and allowed his tail to snap. " _Rude."_

"You could cause us a lot of trouble… but you're right," the male huffed. "Faunus need to stick together. So we'll let you know what we have. Let you tell other Faunus to spread the word."

The White Fang who had patted Sun down looked back to the man in shock. "Wait. How sure are we about this guy, Brother?"

As a debate unfolded, Sun looked back to Yang's hiding spot. He waved cheekily to he. While Yang did respond in kind, she seemed more reserved and concerned with the actions than she had been before.

Perhaps the joke wasn't as funny the second time around, Sun concluded.

He turned back just as the huddle between the White Fang members broke up and redirected their attention to him. Sun gave them a far more subdued smile than before.

"We'll let you know what the White Fang has uncovered," the apparent leader repeated himself.

"But you may _only_ share the information with other, _trusted_ Faunus," the second clarified. "No humans. And _definitely_ no Hunters or Huntresses."

"Wow," Sun said in feigned surprise. "Sounds _really_ important."

"Oh, it _is,"_ the leader nodded.

"A herd of Grimm the White Fang has encountered in the past is about to come across a small, unprotected village outside of Beacon known as Flicker," the other dressed member told Sun.

Sun's eyes widened in genuine shock. " _What?"_

 _"_ With the size of the herd it is unlikely the village can be saved," they continued. "But we have enough time to warn Faunus in the area so they can evacuate while there's still time."

Feeling a bubbling anger deep within his core, Sun stepped closer. "Other Faunus _only?_ Why not evacuate _everyone?_ It shouldn't matter if they're Faunus or not!"

Immediately, the group went on edge.

"I _knew_ he couldn't be trusted!" another hissed.

"Wait!" the leader barked before walking up to Sun. "You're still young. You don't know the world as well as you think you do. So let me inform you. Do you think that in a small town like Flicker, the humans would tell the Faunus when they're evacuating? Do you think if there's mass hysteria from _everyone_ knowing that Faunus won't get hurt? That their shops and homes aren't targeted during the chaos?"

Sun did his best to not wither under the full attention of the larger Faunus, but the guy's stature alone made it _very_ difficult.

"Wise up, kid," the White Fang member suggested. "Look out for your fellow Faunus. No one else will. Now. Get out of my sights."

After the Faunus walked away, Sun looked back to Yang and gave an exaggerated sigh of relief. To which Yang looked horrified, shaking her head and waving for Sun to stop.

He blinked at her curiously before hearing another White Fang member.

"Hey! You're looking back that way again! Who's over there!?"

Thinking fast, Sun removed the extendable staff he had secreted away in his belt then leaped from the scene.

The White Fang's four juvenile members turned fully toward him, beginning to pull out weapons of their own.

Sun gave a small huff of laughter as he backed away from them. "Oh, come on, guys. Like you said, Faunus gotta look out for each other, right?"

The White Fang member who had stayed skeptical of Sun the whole time released a snarl before lunging after him.

Sun waited, making quick work of the opponent by leaping over her bull rushing head and kicking off her back. She dove face first into the ground.

With a twirl of his staff, Sun made contact with the two lesser dressed Fang members.

His blood was rushing in his ears, body abuzz with nervous energy.

But it all came crashing down when the goliath of a Faunus grabbed his feet and sent him launching into the air.

"Aww shiiiitt!" Sun cried out as he went flying toward some garbage in the alley.

He groaned and tried to shift only to stop as the Faunus stalked toward him.

The approach was only stopped once both the attacker and Sun heard an exuberant whistle.

They both looked to see Yang waving at them, hair and eyes aglow.

Without further warning, Yang came barreling at them, battle cry erupting from her throat. And then she drew back her arm before throwing her full body into a crackling punch.

Sun's attacker went flying into a brick wall and Yang stood in the basking glow of victory, cracking her knuckles and neck. Her toothy grin was plastered proudly across her face.

Sun blinked before smirking. He accepted Yang's help up the moment she offered her hand.

"I took out the hard ones first," Sun joked as he got to his feet.

" _Sure,"_ yang mocked back. "But good job."

Unable to resist himself, Sun beamed. "Well, who you gonna call when something's strange in the neighborhood?"

That got a snort out of Yang and she put her hands on her hips. "Sure. Whatever, dork. But seriously, thanks for taking that risk. Now we've gotta tell someone about Flicker. Like Ozpin or Goodwitch. They'll know what to do."

Sun took a breath, the idea resting uneasily on his stomach.

"Yeah, sure thing," he replied, unmoving. "But… do you think it's true what they said? About what'll happen to the Faunus if we do that?"

For a moment, Yang's determination wavered. She took a breath. "It's possible," she replied. "But we'll make _sure_ it doesn't."

Content with the answer, Sun nodded. "Sounds good to me. Now, let's get out of… here…"

They slowed and stared at the alley's exit before watching it fill with fully clothed members of the White Fang.

"Uh… _oh_ …" Sun muttered.

"Alright, we don't have time for this today!" Yang informed the entire alley before letting out another battle cry and throwing all her power into punching the ground in front of her and Sun.

He watched in amazement as the grounds split and sent the White Fang flying to all sides. It was _so much_ power.

"Come on!" Yang called out, grabbing Sun's hand and running with him right through the debris.

Sun's heart fluttered. He couldn't have been happier to have Yang on his side.


	4. Made the Decision for You

The turn around on my stories have a direct correlation to how close they are to being finished. So. I'm not saying the final chapter will also be out in a week, but I also don't trust myself to not at least try to do that very thing lol And I will go ahead and apologize because I'm sure what this all REALLY means is that I'll fail to do that at all and will be begging your forgiveness when the last chapter comes out predictably late.

And a special thanks to secretlystephaniebrown, cfaramfligmar, Luxaria, staininspace, CABRALFAN27, almea, and Thefictiongods on ffnet, tumblr and AO3 for the feedback!

RWBY and related characters © Rooster Teeth  
story © RenaRoo

 **Forever**  
Chapter Four: Made the Decision for You

One thing that Yang understood about the White Fang, even with her own limited experience, was that they were not fans of their operations being forced out into the open. Which made it fortunate that unlike their previous confrontations, Yang and Sun had come across them during midday rather than at night.

Still, there was an exhilaration, a _thrill,_ to the conflict they had exposed that was bubbling up in Yang as they carried forward together into the main streets.

She _really_ enjoyed the excuse to punch things and show off a bit. And _damn_ if Sun hadn't been fun to show off to.

If she wasn't careful, she was going to start understanding what Blake saw in him all over again.

"That's incredible!" Sun laughed, half-running, half-leaping with each step to keep in step with Yang. "You! _You're_ incredible!"

"Haha!" Yang cheered. "Sing my praises some more!"

There was a shared joy in their expressions as they carried on, a sort of bonding that was obvious even to Yang's attempts to think it wasn't happening.

But it came to a quick demise as they found themselves looking forward and seeing Blake herself before them.

Immediately, they skidded to a halt.

And Yang's heart began beating in quick strides that had nothing to do with adrenaline.

Blake was breathless, cheeks slightly flush from being flustered, and she was looking at Sun and Yang like she expected one of them to have been drawn and quartered. Then she refocused specifically on Sun.

"What… What are you two _doing_ here?" she demanded.

They glanced to each other then back to Blake.

Sun took the lead on that one, swinging one leg around and easily moving into a full body shrug that almost hid his breathlessness. "Being avoided together I think was how we put it."

Confusion drew itself clearly on Blake's expression. "What?"

"We were getting ice cream," Yang answered. "Thought we'd both could use some time away from Beacon." She glanced to Sun and smiled, hoping the bitterness didn't pull at her lips too much. "Sun… You know, Blake, he's a really sweet guy. He's been worried sick about you. But he didn't want to bother you either. So we went out for ice cream and…"

Her words trailed off, she wasn't sure anymore what she was trying to say. Sun's expression was soft, appreciative, but there was a perk to his ears as if he understood for the first time that there was something _else_ beneath Yang's surface.

Something more than a concerned friend.

When Yang looked to Blake, though, she steeled her personal needs and shoved them aside. Those amber eyes were wide and a little scared. More than they needed to be.

She needed the affirmation of a _friend._

"He understands what you feel," Yang confirmed. "All of it. And he _respects_ it. In ways I never could." She gave a small smile and saluted with her fingers. "Scout's honor. I can vouch for him."

Blake took a breath before shaking her head. "Yang… that's not…"

"We ran into the White Fang, and something's about to happen outside of Beacon that I need to tell Ozpin and Goodwitch about," Yang continued. "Sun can catch you up, and you guys should go get Ruby and Weiss ready for some action, too. We'll probably need everyone we can get."

"Yang, we'll tell them together," Sun attempted to argue, but Yang shook her head."

"Nah, I've got it," Yang said firmly, beginning to walk past Blake. "I don't need to get in between you guys anymore than I have."

"In between us?" Sun asked.

"Yang, wait!" Blake cried out, grabbing Yang's arm. "What is going _on_ with you? Please."

Biting her lip, Yang paused before looking to her partner. Her heart only continued to increase in step. "Blake," she all but whispered. "You could have had anyone as your partner back during the initiation. Why did you pick me?"

Blake looked floored, but not confused. She stared back at Yang quietly, forming words to an answer she already had.

"You looked like you weren't looking for anyone else, too," she answered at last. "Everyone else had plans, _wanted_ partners. You looked ready to take down a Grimm on your own. I figured… I figured I wouldn't have to worry about you, if I was going to be forced to have a partner. I wanted them to be ready to work alone, just like I was."

Yang felt something painfully sting at the corners of her eyes, and she rubbed at them roughly with the backs of her free hand. "Heh. Yeah. I guess I was pretty easy to figure out in a glance," she laughed, hoping her words were stronger sounding than they felt.

"We both were wrong," Blake urged. "We needed partners, good, _solid_ partners to help us out. I'm-I'm glad we got it. Aren't you? Yang, aren't you glad we're–"

Not wasting anymore time, Yang leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss to Blake's forehead, stunning the Faunus into silence.

"We're great friends," Yang confirmed. "And… and I'll always look out for you. I promise."

There were no more words as Yang pulled away and began to race to Beacon. Only a painful quiet that she took as the confirmation she needed.

* * *

When Yang walked away, a strange panic and pain overwhelmed Blake. She clutched at her chest, watching someone _else_ be the one to turn away felt like was going to personally do her in.

"What the heck is going _on_ with everyone lately?" Sun asked, scratching at his head as he stepped up alongside Blake. He looked to her, bewildered. "Yang and I were just working together. Heck, I thought we were actually making a great team. I… I _really_ enjoyed her company. But now she's just walking away."

There was a wateriness to her own vision as Blake looked to where Yang disappeared in the distance. She wiped it away as quickly as she could, tossing her head back and forth to shake loose of the feeling.

But she couldn't shake loose of it. She just felt the emptiness squeeze around her tighter, more restricting.

"And what was she going on about 'getting between us' stuff?" Sun continued, too baffled with his own perspective to fully let it sink in yet that Blake was melting into an emotional puddle beside him.

"You said you guys were working fine together?" Blake asked, voice a little broken.

"Yeah, great," Sun answered, looking at Blake now a little more perceptively. "Blake, are you alright–"

"Is she amazing?" Blake demanded. "I mean, do _you,_ personally, think she's just amazing?"

Sun tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? Who? _Yang?_ Yeah. I mean, of course I do. How could anyone not?" he replied candidly. "Blake, _what_ is going on? First you're all weird on me and then Yang – I'm starting to get a little concerned for _everyone_ on your team at this rate!"

"Yang doesn't realize we both think she's amazing," Blake concluded. "She… she doesn't know how much _I_ think she's amazing. And I don't know if I should tell her how I feel. About– About everything. I can tell Yang how I feel about everything – even you."

Blinking, Sun pointed at his own chest. "Me?"

"But she thinks I have nothing to tell her about how _we_ are," she continued, knowing she was blabbing. Her heart was beating faster.

"I'm lost, hold up," Sun said, holding up his hands. "Blake. _Please_ tell me what's going on."

"I'll tell you when I know," Blake concluded before taking off after Yang.

"Blake! _Blake!_ Wait! Well, fudge!" Sun groaned, left behind once more.

Yang had covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time, but that was not nearly enough to deter Blake once her mind was set on a goal.

With her speed and tracking skills, not to mention the handy information of knowing already that Yang's destination was Ozpin's office, Blake raced forward. She was on Beacon's grounds before she could even process it and, tracking Yang as fast as possible, it nearly caused her to run into the first person to cross her path along the way.

"Oof!" Ruby called out, a little winded as she spun on one foot from the shoulder check Blake gave her.

"Ruby!" Blake called out, sliding to a stop. She was a little breathless, still riddled with anxiety and looking toward where she knew Yang had already gone. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to run into you, I'm just…"

Ruby smiled her usual, bright smile, and held up her hands. "Blake! Come on, it's okay. Just breathe for now, alright! Yeesh!"

"Sorry," Blake repeated before taking the advice. She took a heralding breath and eased her stance. "I was going after Yang. She should have come this way–"

"Yeah! I saw her!" Ruby answered with a nod. "She told me to get the Crescent Rose, so…" She paused, humming and then looked at Blake. "Yang said you already knew all this, though. Why aren't you getting ready to leave, Blake?"

"I am, and I _will,"_ Blake assured her. "But I need to find Yang. I… I think I accidentally really upset her."

Ruby's silver eyes widened slightly with her audible "oh" and she leaned back, looking over Blake carefully. "Is this… _the thing?"_ she whispered, nearing Blake a bit. "Did Yang tell you?"

"Tell me?" Blake asked, confused.

"OOPS! Nope nevermind! Abort abort," Ruby laughed nervously, stepping back and rubbing worriedly at her neck. " _Whoopsie!_ I mean. It's okay. It's not anything. If she didn't tell you, I mean. It's not a big deal. Don't get worried about it or anything. _Definitely_ don't tell her you're worried about it because I said something. In fact! We're not even really talking."

Blake set her jaw and put her hands on her hips. "Ruby."

"You can't get anything else from me, Blake! So don't even try," Ruby warned. But she looked like she was about to burst at the word _go._

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ruby, but I _do_ know I need to tell Yang… I have to tell her how I feel," Blake stressed.

Ruby gasped. "Tell her that you love her?" she asked, sounding like every word was about to become a full squeak. She then paused and coughed. "I mean. _Is it?"_

"Of course," Blake said too confidently even for herself. Immediately, she grabbed a lock of hair from over her shoulder and began nervously tugging at it. "Of course I do. But… But I need to talk to her. We need to figure out – you know – how _much_ we love each other. And you know. It can be any kind of love! Like… love for a partner. Or love for a friend. Love like a soulmate-friend. Love… you know. _Love._ It's _really_ complicated, Ruby."

"Yeah, I hear that a lot," Ruby said somewhat sardonically. Her smile faltered some and she hugged her arms. "But… I guess what about Sun?"

"I don't know," Blake responded, her chest twisted up in knots. "I'm used to what I feel with Sun. I thought it'd be different if I tried to feel more things with Yang, but… it's not. It's still _Sun._ And me. And…" She sighed and buried her face in her hand. "And I'm a _terrible_ girlfriend. I just left him without explanation. _Again._ And I might… I think I feel things for someone that isn't him. And that's not fair. But I don't want to lose him either."

Catching herself in her rambling, Blake sighed and shook her head. "Sorry, Ruby."

"Whoa," Ruby replied, smile broadening. "Wow, Blake! I didn't know you ever had so much to say at one time! This is great!"

"I haven't told _anyone anything_ I've been thinking and it's causing such a mess," Blake informed Ruby. "I think… my brain is leaking with it all now. It's just tumbling out."

"Well, for what it's worth, I approve!" Ruby replied back. "But, Blake, you've got to know… I don't think it's a big deal that you love two people."

Confused, Blake shot Ruby a look. "What do you mean? Of course it's a big deal. I can't love two people the same way. Not at the same time – it… Ruby, what I'm doing isn't fair to them. They deserve to be loved by all of me at once."

"What about you?" Ruby asked gently. "Don't you deserve to be loved as much by both of them as they want to love you? And don't they deserve to know that there's that much love between the three of you?"

Blake looked at her. "Love doesn't work that way. It shouldn't. It should be…"

What did she want to say? _Limited? Closed? Private?_

And then there was Sun and Yang. They worked well together, but that didn't mean…

What did _any_ of it mean, really?"

"I think the best thing you all can do is talk, Blake," Ruby continued. She turned back on her path toward the locker rooms. "And I think the world'll be a whole lot better off if everyone who loved each other gave it a try!"

As her leader took off like the crack of a whip, Blake felt the pounding urgency of her heart pick up again.

If it all was true, then Blake had a harder conversation ahead of her than she thought.

* * *

There really _was_ something cosmically comical about his lot in life.

Sun had lingered, a little stunned that Blake had managed to leave him in her dust. _Again._ Before realizing he needed to pull the lead out and figure out just what the heck was going _on._

Because Blake and Yang were hilariously curious creatures, sure, but this had reached definite levels of mass confusion. He barely even knew what to make of it all, but he knew he had to _act_ and do it as soon as possible.

Which made his arrival to Beacon after Blake and Yang just the tiniest bit more heart pounding.

Neptune, as fortune would have it, was already there in the courtyard. He was looking around before settling his gaze on Sun and immediately perking up.

"There you are! I couldn't find you _anywhere_ , dude!" Neptune said, jogging up to Sun. "Everyone's nuts out here! There's people running around and students talking about a Grimm attack but the teachers are saying everything's fine–"

"What? Already?" Sun asked in a blink before looking around to see the entire Beacon student body running about in a confused flurry. "Wow. That was fast."

Tilting his head, Neptune crossed his arms. "What was fast?" He hummed as he put a hand to his chin. "I should've known you were getting behind the scenes info! You know what's up, right? What's the four-one-one–"

"Neptune," Sun said, looking at his friend carefully. "There's a Grimm attack. Yang and I found out about it – a small town outside of the city, called Flicker, it's apparently going to need a _lot_ of protection."

"Holy cow," Neptune marveled. "Sun! _Dude!_ How do you always know everything that's going on? It's like a superpower!"

"Yeah, that's not the important part, Yang's already telling Ozpin… I don't know. _Something._ Point is, it's handled, I think," Sun explained before setting his jaw. "The real problem's a lot different and I need your help for it."

Eyes widening some, Neptune tilted his head back. "Woah. This sounds pretty heavy. I mean, I'll do whatever I can, Sun. Whatever you need! I'm your guy! I just… Uh. Is it _extremely_ dangerous or something? Because if so, that's cool… I just… need to know first so–"

Sun squinted as he looked into his friend's face, trying his hardest to convey how serious each word was about to be before saying out loud.

"I think I'm in a love triangle," he informed Neptune.

His partner blinked in return before turning his head. "What?"

"I'm serious," Sun said. "Yang, Blake, and I? I think there's like. More relationships in this trio than there should be. And I don't know what side of the fence I'm even on."

Neptune's look almost turned to a glare. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"I don't know," Sun replied hollowly.

"Okay, are we talking like… two girls – two friends – who love you? Or like you love someone who one of the friends loves back? Or…" Neptune was listing off as if he didn't know the parties involved at all.

"I don't know, man," Sun groaned in aggravation. "I think all of it. I think every part of that is part of the problem."

Neptune blanched before smacking himself in the head. He groaned as he shook.

" _Dude,"_ Neptune sighed. "You have… literally the most unrelatable teenage boy problem I have _ever_ heard of in my life. Do you get that?"

"Sure, but _what do I do?"_ Sun moaned.

"I… I don't know?" Neptune relied, visibly shrugging with his whole body. "Date both of them?"

Sun listened to the advice, took a few steps away and seemed to let it sink in.

"Date both of them," Sun said. "And then they'd be dating, too… So we'd all be dating? Could that work?"

"I… was kind of joking," Neptune muttered, mostly ignored by that point as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Seriously, Sun. The, like… Most unrelatable problem I have _ever_ heard."

Sun just frowned at his friend, thinking of a way to dismiss his claim when he noticed bright, golden hair in the distance. His tail immediately stiffened and he shouldered past Neptune to make his way toward her.

"Yang!"

She turned to look at him, her face a little paled and clammy from the last time he had seen her. But she was also determined – her eyes hard and gauntlets already attached to her wrist.

"Yikes," Sun said, stepping more carefully in light of the ferocity he was seeing.

"Oh, Sun," she said, easing up only slightly. "Ozpin's about to declare a Grimm alert. I was just going to head to the dock. You know. Be one of the first in line to leave."

Scratching at his head, Sun frowned sadly. "Without your team?"

"They can meet me there," Yang said stiffly.

When her head dropped, Sun felt his own breath hitch slightly. There was so much radiating from Yang – a broken kind of energy, conflicting and exhausting all at once. Like she was just as lost as he had been.

"I also just… You know. Want to thank you," she continued.

Blinking, Sun was taken aback. "For what?"

"Just, you know, _everything,"_ she said like it hurt. "For being good for Blake. And for today – having a good time. And for helping find out about the White Fang stuff. That's all… it's all great."

"Oh, well, sure," Sun shrugged in response. He forced a smile as he raised a brow at her. "But, just to point out… you had a pretty big hand in those, too, Yang. Maybe I should be saying the same to you. And a whole lot more."

She looked up at him, raising a brow of her own when the collective footsteps of the student body went toward the docks, Sun, Neptune, and Yang's scrolls also beginning to buzz with an alert.

"Guess we better get moving," Sun said.

"Are you going to wait for Blake?" Yang asked, looking him in the eyes steadily.

"My partner's already here," Sun said, clasping a hand on Neptune's shoulder.

"Oh, so _now_ I'm remembered," Neptune huffed.

"So I'll be meeting you and Blake when we get there," Sun continued decisively. "You can count on it."

Yang, almost despite herself, gave Sun a small smile, her eyes finally glinting with realization of her own. She accepted with a nod and began to turn more toward the school waiting on her team and, especially, on Blake.

Sun just grabbed Neptune's arm and all but drug him along toward the docking bay.

"I have no idea what just happened," Neptune said. "But I'm going to keep by my assessment: _most unrelatable problems. Ever."_

"Well, here's hoping that on the other side of this ship? It won't be a problem anymore," Sun replied.


	5. Start Again

I would just like to thank all of you so much who have supported this story and stuck with it through several delays. It was a fun trip, especially for someone who has never really attempted writing something so romance-centered. I hope that the fluff is something of a positive for everyone who reads this.

And a special thanks to secretlystephaniebrown, voxaris, Luxaria, staininspace, almea, and ikase-tsui on tumblr and AO3 for the feedback!

RWBY and related characters © Rooster Teeth  
story © RenaRoo

 **Forever**  
Chapter Five: Start Again

Sun's approval was still buzzing in her mind as Yang paced in the courtyard just outside the docks. Her gauntlets clanked together with each motion and her heart raced.

She hoped, desperately, that she wasn't misreading Sun's intentions.

But at the same time, what had overthinking gotten her in the conundrum thus far? It wasn't like her to hesitate, but it _also_ wasn't like her to accept rejection well. And no matter how it went, her primary concern was that Blake and Sun weren't hurt by anything stupid she might say if she started lashing out.

Which gave her a whole _new_ kind of pause.

Since when did she care if _Sun_ got his feelings hurt?

"Yang!" Weiss' voice carried over the crowds. "There you are!"

Looking toward her friend's voice, Yang couldn't help but feel some relief that some things never changed, and Weiss was storming through the swarming masses of Hunters and students with no cares that she was all but parting the waters with her very aura.

It made Yang smile.

"I haven't been able to find _anyone_ today and I'm about tired of it," Weiss huffed, her sword drawn and ready. Once at Yang's side, she crossed her arms and cocked her hips expectantly. "Did the whole nonsense with Blake and Sun get cleared up? Because I don't know how much more of the back-and-forth I can stand. And I _definitely_ won't let it interfere with whatever this business in Flicker is."

"It's on its way to being cleared up," Yang explained vaguely.

"Well, good," Weiss said before glancing almost knowingly toward the rest of the courtyard. "And there they are. _Now_ we can load a ship. I'll go steal us seats."

" _Save_ us seats?" Yang tried to correct.

"No," Weiss said with a confident smirk as she marched off.

Shaking her head slightly at her teammate, Yang turned her attention back to the crowd, watching with faint breathlessness as she saw Blake and Ruby nearing her. While Blake's reserved face seemed tightly drawn together in worry, Ruby was waving her arms emphatically, racing ahead to meet Yang.

"We're here! We're ready to kick Grimm behinds!" Ruby yelled before coming up to Yang's side, Blake not too far behind. "Oh, and we've got other things to be excited about, too!" Ruby claimed with a waggle of her eyebrows.

"Yeah," Yang agreed, looking back to meet Blake's concerned gaze. "We definitely do."

Rubbing her shoulder awkwardly, Blake shrugged to Yang. "Listen… Yang. About before – about Sun and us…"

"Sun's already boarded," Yang interrupted quickly, her heart racing. She wasn't sure if she was ready for whatever Blake had to say – not before Yang got to say what _she_ needed to, first. "He said he'll meet us when we land. So. Don't worry about him."

"I'm not," Blake said, showing herself to be slightly more flustered. "I mean, of course I _am_ worried about him, but I'm not… That's not one hundred percent what we need to be talking about right now."

"Yeah," Yang sighed, rubbing at her neck. "I know. And we just… We don't have a lot of time. So…"

They both lapsed into silence, throwing heavy glances the other's way.

Ruby looked back and forth between them, her body all but vibrating before she threw out her arms. "Really!? _Come on!_ You can say it! Please! Just for me? For _Team RWBY!_ We're all counting on you."

"Rubes," Yang groaned.

Her baby sister smiled back with the same burning optimism Yang blamed for this whole mess to begin with. Oh, to not have the support of one's younger sibling.

Before another word could be shared between them, there was a loud commotion ahead of the crowds on what looked like one of the transport ships. They looked just as they saw four shouting younger students being tossed out the side hatch.

Yang blinked before seeing Weiss' torso pop out from the hatch.

"I have our seats! Get moving!" Weiss ordered as she waved them on and disappeared back into the ship.

Ruby laughed and ran ahead, giving a sly glance to Yang along the way before winking.

The two of them left, Blake continued rubbing awkwardly at her shoulder and offering a small, albeit still confused, smile to Yang.

"We'll talk about it soon," Yang promised. "I… was a little upset earlier. Not with you. Not really. Just. It's okay."

Still concerned, Blake hesitated before placing a delicate hand on Yang's shoulder. "Are you sure it's okay?"

Looking at Blake's hand, Yang felt a warm glow pulse through her at the touch. Her heart was a live flame in her chest.

She looked to Blake, putting a hand over the Faunus'. "Definitely sure," she said.

There was a beat of silence, the kind that Yang would have _killed_ to have last longer, where their breaths were matched and the world seemed calm amidst chaos.

"Everyone on transports! If you're coming to the summons be onboard in twenty seconds, if not go back to your rooms!" Professor Goodwitch's voice called from the center of the docks.

Yang and Blake smiled wistfully toward each other before obeying, racing to the ship where Ruby and Weiss waited for them.

Flicker was so small of a town it hardly made a blip in the long and twisting woods around Beacon as they flew overhead. Yang only even noticed it thanks to Ruby's exuberant pointing from the nearest window.

Even then, as Professor Goodwitch's orders called over the speaker, Yang could hardly give it full mind.

Her full attention was enwrapped in the small, nervous _something_ of the air between her and Blake.

Again she felt a little breathless, a little warm and a little _cool_ and all in the same places. Her muscles were tensed in a way they never got for battle.

Blake's fingers were idly checking over her supplies, handling the hilt of her weapon, looking Yang's way with worry and distress and, somehow amidst it all, a kind optimism that could only show in the bright gold of her eyes.

It made Yang's jaw hurt, the way there were so many words eager to get out and yet none of them could force their way just yet.

Ruby looked between them, her silver eyes sparking with impressive enthusiasm as strange noises died in her throat. Though, Yang had been around her younger sister enough to know to be thankful for the attempt at restraint.

Weiss stood between them, arms crossed and expression ever _crosser_ as she looked between them.

With an annoyed sigh, Weiss dropped her forehead against her hand and let out a hot tuff of air.

"Is anyone going to explain to me what's going on here?" she asked. "We _should_ be talking strategies and what side of the oncoming stampede we want to help contain!" Her sharp eyes turned to Ruby and she shrugged tiredly. "Ruby, you've _got_ to help me out here."

"Oh, I'm helping," Ruby assured Weiss, hands on her hips as she nodded. "I gave them _permission."_

For a moment, Weiss simply stared at their leader before letting out a sigh and glancing to her other two friends a little more worriedly. "Everything _is_ alright, isn't it?"

"If everything's alright with Yang," Blake said first, and her earnest expression made every word count.

"Yup," Yang said, punching her gauntlets together with a spark that made the rest of her team back up slightly in concern. "Everything's going to be great." She looked to Weiss and smirked. "Thanks for worrying about the team so much. No one says it enough."

Weiss blinked, taken by surprise, before her cheeks grew flushed and she looked off. "Of course I'm worried. You're my team. Now let's get going to the door. We're about to land and I don't want _anyone_ cutting us out of the good places. Especially upperclassmen."

They all smirked to each other, especially Ruby as she bounced into line behind Weiss, already grabbing for the Crescent Rose.

Yang and Blake walked in tandem toward the door behind their younger compatriots and Yang thought, just for a heart pounding moment, that it might have been one of the first times since meeting that they were truly in full sync with each other.

As the doors opened and the distant calls and roars of Grimm became ever louder over the approaching rumble, they locked eyes on another unloading vessel and immediately caught the gazes of SSSN.

Sun smiled at them.

The collective breath Yang and Blake took was enough – _in sync._

It was something, something _extraordinaire._ And something Yang would have never thought possible before the two of them.

Which absolutely filled her with the need to unleash her newfound energy like she had never felt before. She turned on her heel toward the approaching herd of Grimm and charged her gauntlets in a simultaneous click.

The trees shook ahead of them with the might of the approaching Grimm herd, but it hardly registered in Yang's mind as her adrenaline coursed through her veins. She grinned widely and leaped forward into the fray, not even needing to look to know her team was right behind her.

Save for her partner. Blake, after all, was right by her side.

* * *

Her pulse was strong in her ears, pounding, as they went to work on the Grimm.

There was something satisfying about the immediacy of their fight. Unlike the chess game of the White Fang and the politics in the daily struggles around Beacon and its many secrets, the hoard of Grimm attacking out of incidental circumstance, requiring being rerouted more than directly confronted, felt _doable_ and felt _right._

But it still left questions.

"We're open!" Weiss informed them, forming glyphs for the team to transport on.

Ruby let out a gleeful noise before bouncing right off of them in a burst of speed that still left Blake envious to that day, watching their leader take the fight to the hoard and sending more than a few of the beasts racing toward the purposefully opened side in the Hunters' blockade.

The Grimm were redirecting, group by group.

Standing back to back with Yang, Blake felt herself awash with a deep relief. There was strength and energy radiating off of Yang, the kind of reassurance that being Yang's partner had brought Blake to expect.

But that day there was more. There was a heat there, a glowing warmth that felt as though it was there purely for her.

"What did this stampede have to do with earlier today?" Blake finally asked, using her whip to hurry along a few of the smaller Grimm racing away from the overwhelming number of Hunters and Huntresses. "With you and Sun and… well, _everything?_ "

"Oh, that," Yang said lightly, glancing over her shoulder just enough to smile at Blake. "We happened against some White Fang members and they were letting Faunus in the city know about the stampede. That way they could let Faunus in Flicker and beyond in on the news. Save Faunus lives."

Blake dropped her gaze. It was the answer she had been expecting. "But not humans."

Yang glanced back to her as well, meeting her gaze for a gentle moment before they broke to continue attacking the straggling forces of Grimm.

"Listen, Blake," Yang said, pulling her punch just enough to send a Grimm into the ground and leaving it open for Blake's attack. "I'm not going to pretend that I can understand how this feels or, well, how _anything_ feels for you guys. But I listen. And I know that there's more to understand about these bad situations than I could have ever dreamed of before."

Blake followed the attack through and landed just by Yang's side, looking to her sharply so that Yang would continue.

"They were worried that by alerting _all_ people to the attack, then Faunus would risk being left behind, or that damages and rioting would attack them in the aftermath," Yang said. "I don't think that makes everything _right_ , but I can see where it's coming from now. Sometimes people are bad for each other. Especially when they think there's only so much love or generosity to go around for their own."

Blake looked over Yang. "And you don't believe that," she surmised.

A curious smirk grew on her partner's face. "Not one bit. I think there's plenty to go around. Do you?"

Taking a deep breath, Blake nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I do." She glanced back to the controlled chaos of the herd's redirected path and rubbed idly at her neck. "But taking care of the Grimm doesn't take care of the possibility that there are Faunus at risk back in Flicker because of all this. It might even be _worse_ if anyone finds out there's a conspiracy behind all of this involving the White Fang."

Yang's hand came down so strongly on Blake's shoulder, the cat nearly arched her back in surprise. She sent her partner an annoyed but pleased huff.

"We'll fix that then, too," she said with a wink. "I've got plans. It involves a small team of us staying behind for the night and guarding over Flicker. Making sure those same businesses are all treated fairly as the citizens come back."

For a moment, Blake simply allowed the information to be processed, to really sink in. What it meant to her was monumental – enough so that she nearly felt numbed to the shear scope.

Finally, she looked to Yang and saw that it was more than just meant to impress her with Yang's commitment to Blake.

It was because she felt and _knew_ that it was right. That she understood what sort of help the Faunus would need. And that burned a new fire in Blake like she would have never believed before.

"We'll need someone to watch our backs," Blake decided, cautious and timid at heart as ever.

Before another word could pass between them, there was a screeching cry from above.

They looked up, surprised but battle ready, as a flying Grimm came tumbling toward them.

Without either girl even attempting to lift a finger, the Grimm overshot, screeching and flapping awkwardly as its neck was pulled back, and it didn't take long to see the two, shining golden visages that were guilty of the Grimm's distress and redirection balanced carefully over its back.

They split aside as Sun came down on the Grimm's head staff first, bursting the Grimm into dust before their eyes.

And, still, he managed to stick his landing in front of them, staff twirling over his shoulders effortlessly.

He wore a larger grin than usual. "I'd like to offer my services on the whole back-watching thing," he said smoothly.

Blake watched the affection in Sun's eyes, tested its strength and then its direction. There was none – it was warm and open to both of them, not directed to Blake any more than it was Yang.

Yang grinned widely at them and put her hands on her hips. "I think we'd like to accept those services," she joked right back at Sun.

In the silence that fell between them, the other two – their bright, shining faces turned identically to Blake, warming her every piece with the sort of radiance she couldn't express – looked to Blake for the final word. For the final say on what to make of the new scenario.

And to have choice for once frightened Blake. She thought about turning, about running.

Because the third option seemed so much stronger and greater than the weight that her next words brought. That certain unknown.

Blake smiled, grabbing both Sun and Yang's hands at once and tilting her head affectionately toward them.

"Let's talk," she said. "Together."

There was a relief shared between Sun and Yang just before the yodeling scream they had collectively ignored in the distance came careening toward them. They all leaped back just as Ruby and Weiss landed with an even larger Grimm beast beneath their boots just a few feet from them.

"Woohoo!" Ruby called out, standing tall with the Crescent Rose over her head. Her silver eyes brightly flickered their way and she gave them a thumbs up. "We're all good. You guys do your thing."

Weiss gave them all a suspicious glance over. " _What_ thing?"

Before an awkward explanation could be given, Ruby giggled and grabbed Weiss' arm as she pulled her along. "I'll explain! C'mon, Weiss!"

Once the other two members of Team RWBY were out of earshot, Sun let out a laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe Ruby could explain it to us, too. Might make this _talk_ go faster at least!"

"Don't offer it up to her, she'll take it," Yang laughed in warning.

* * *

Neptune made a few inaudible motions toward Sun, as if some clever slide of hand would communicate whatever tortures Weiss and Ruby's interrogations were inflicting on him from across the central road in Flicker. To which Sun only had a casual shrug in return.

There were other things to bring attention to, and Neptune could forgive him later for being left behind with the rest of Team RWBY.

Sun had more pressing matters to attend to.

Yang and Blake walked away from the last of the Beacon transport vessels, a cocksure grin and pleasant smile of success respectively as they approached him.

"Well?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips and expecting great news to battle with the swarming uncertainty in his gut.

"It took some buttering up, but Professor Goodwitch agreed with our plan," Yang said, slamming her fists together for added enthusiasm.

"After Yang explained the exact way the information fell into your laps and I gave a Faunus' perspective on why the protection would be necessary for the night, she had not disagreements," Blake explained, a small smile growing to something more brilliant and radiant with the news.

"And our teams are uniquely qualified for the task!" Yang smirked, crossing her arms across her chest and doing her level best to stand a head taller than the rest of them.

"Well, us and CFVY," Blake corrected, looking back toward the team in question.

Sun watched in curiosity as both Blake and the CFVY Faunus – he was pretty sure her name was Velvet – took a moment to look across the ways at each other and give a knowing smile and wave.

"That's all great. _More_ than great, really!" Sun said, quickly nodding. "We'll be here, taking care of Flicker, doing the whole _honorary Huntsmen_ sorta thing." He watched as both of them turned their full attentions back on him. Their gazes warmed him with a strange and exceptional heat like he hadn't known before. "Which leads us to the _next_ bit of business. That big talk."

At the very least, there was some comfort he could take in the awkwardness shared between the other Huntresses.

After all, how would someone even _start_ that kind of conversation with people outside of Sun's own very brash attempt?

Taking a breath, Yang nodded a few times before looking to Blake. "I think… Well, since a lot of this has already been people making assumptions for this and that and the other for you, Blake, you should get to say what _you_ want first," she offered. "We'll be all ears."

"And tails for some of us," Sun added with a grin and a shrug, hoping that some levity would go a long way to showing his support.

Nervously, Blake reached up and swept fingers through her hair. Her pale cheeks grew red before she smiled and nodded. "Okay, right," she said, meeting their eyes. "Thank you. Really. I don't know how much I can even find the words to _say_ the right thing right now but…"

With a small breath, Blake better collected herself. Determination grew stronger than the bashfulness on her face and she looked to Sun then to Yang as she continued. "Both of you know that much of my life has been torn between having to fend for myself, _by_ myself, and finding people that I trust only to be let down and… and _hurt._ Disappointed."

Sun frowned, feeling his fists tighten by his side at the reminder of Blake's hardships.

It was relieving to see Yang didn't even try to hide her similar reaction to Blake's words.

"I didn't come to Beacon looking for that to change," Blake said formally. "I came to Beacon because that, and becoming a Huntress, seemed like the greatest chances I had at making a difference. The kind of difference that the White Fang could never possibly make with the path they've taken. And doing that alone… well, it's impossible. Nearly impossible." She gave a soft laugh. "That's the weird thing. The more I think about it – about the kind of person I wanted to become to achieve all my goals. I don't think it's that I learned that I couldn't do those things, that it wasn't possible at all, or even that I'm scared of how hard it is. It's just… a much scarier thought.

"The thought that I don't _want_ to be alone, because I think there's someone even better I can be. And I can be that person because I've found people I love… people who apparently are willing and maybe already do love me back," Blake continued, a tremor starting in her shoulders. "And that's terrifying. And terrible because I didn't look for this. I didn't ever want to bring people to new and scary territory for me. I don't want to recruit people to my personality like I'm leading some cause. And that's why I… I'm the _most_ scared of diving into this question. A question I don't think I have any right to ask."

Sun gave his brightest smile and reached forward, taking Blake's left hand in his right. "Blake, you've got this. We're," he glanced to Yang, _"both_ here for you."

"Like it or not you're stuck with us," Yang joked with a broad smile, grabbing Blake's other hand before reaching over and yanking Sun around the neck into a headlock. "You don't even have to ask to know that no matter what comes up, you're going to have support from us both."

"Absolutely," Sun coughed through a laugh of his own.

Blake's face brightened again, the wateriness of her eyes not breaking how shining her face became under their affection.

With a nod, Blake said, "I have feelings for both of you. I do. I can't choose between you, can't do without either of you. You two… you make my life _shine._ You make me feel like I have a place in this world and I've never had that before. Not like this. You make me feel like the sunlight will last forever. And if you two are willing to try… if you two want to stay with me knowing that I could never pick one of you over the other, that I really believe to the bottom of my heart that love can last boundlessly, _forever,_ then I would like to try. I would like to try for all of us to have each other, and make those changes to the world together."

Beaming, heart thundering in his ears, Sun nodded. "I couldn't think of a fancy way of putting those feelings but… yeah," he said, using the hand that wasn't holding tightly to Blake's to try to loosen Yang's arm around his throat. "I don't think I'd want to break up our little amazing team here either. We kind of work awesome together. All of us."

After a warm, glowing moment, they looked to Yang next. She finally released her hold on his head.

There was still uncertainty bubbling in Sun's stomach, loathe as he was to let it ruin the moment. He stumbled clear when Yang unleashed him and watched as she worried her lip nervously.

Blake blinked cautiously. "Yang… I know it must be awkward. With how close we've been and that we've already had a relationship," she said looking quietly to Sun before returning her attention to her partner. "But there is no 'third wheel' deal here. It's all of us the _same_."

The normally cocksure expression across her face fell for a fleeting moment, Yang struck something strong by the words. But her smirk quickly returned and a bright fire shown in her eyes. "Well, that's good. Would hate for _Sun_ to feel left out, after all."

"Hey!" Sun laughed.

When he sobered up, he saw Yang's free hand outstretched toward him.

There was no hesitation as Sun grabbed Yang's hand, nor when he pulled both Beacon Huntresses toward him for a hug they readily and happily returned. His tail whipped eagerly, ready to really prove to the world how three people – from such different histories and lives – could come together like Remnant should.

"Oh my _god_! Is _this_ what's been going on!?" Weiss' voice carried from the road. "How did no one tell me what was going on? Ruby, did you know about this?"

"Woohoo! Go Yang! Go Blake! Go Sun!" Ruby preened.

Sun dared to open his eye and peer as Ruby, Weiss, and Neptune stood nearby.

Neptune rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Completely unrelatable. _Completely,_ dude."

"Well," Sun laughed as Yang took control of the hug, pulling them both tighter and Blake nuzzled just beneath Sun's chin, "hopefully it won't be unrelatable for long."

After all, there was no need to put a definition or limit on something that could change their world forever.


End file.
